Fastener



June 18, 1940. F. N. ASHVVORTH FASTENER Filed June 15, 1938 w w M N 0 m F Patented June 18, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I FASTENER Fred N. Ashworth, Sonierville, Mass. Application June 15, 1938, Serial No. 213,803

This invention relates to fasteners, and has for its primary objectto provide a device for securing articles of clothing one to another, as for example, the lower front portion of. a shirt to the adjacent inner front portion of, a pair of trousers, with the further object in View of preventing the shirt from pulling upwardly from within the trousers while both articles are being worn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fastener of. the character described having a structure embodied therein which will expand in a manner to permit the articles secured thereby to yield relatively to each other.

The invention consists of a fastener as set forth in the following specification and particularly as pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged front elevation of a fastener embodying my invention, said fastener being illustrated attached to the front of a shirt.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the fastener, illustrating the same attached to a front edge portion of a shirt and also attached tothe binding upon the inner side of a pair of trousers, a top edge portion of which is illustrated in section.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows on said line. i

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail transverse section taken on theline 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows on said line.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the helical fastening member in an extended position. i

Fig. 6 is a front elevation illustrating a modifled embodiment of the invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

In the drawing, referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, l represents a shield formed as a flat metal plate, and I is a clamp of well known type secured to said shield and having a resilient clamping member [2 and actuating member l3 therefor embodied therein. The clamp H is provided for the purpose of securing the shield ID to the front edge portion of a shirt M as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3, the clamping member l2 gripping the edge portion of the shirt upon the opposite faces thereof and being held thereagainst by means of the actuating member l3.

Mounted in a socket portion provided upon the shield I0 is an inverted U shaped bearing member l6 having a downwardly projecting portion I! embodied therein upon which a rotatable 10 Claims. (arm-s5) the upper portion thereof consisting of. closely wound coils l9, and the lower portion being formed of coils which are spaced apart. The

lowermost coil terminates in a pointed portion or spur 2| which is positioned eccentric to the axis of the fastening member in a manner to easily penetrate a fabric lining 22 located upon the inner side of the upper front portion of a 'pair of trousers 23 when said fastening member is rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4. The upper portion IQ of the fastening member I8 is firmly secured in any suitable manner within a knurled operating knob 24 which is rotatably mounted upon the portion ll of the bearing member Hi, the lower edge of said knob resting upon the upper edge of the shield Ill; and the fastening member I8 is therefore held in position upon the bearing member by reason of the fact that the knob 24 is interposed between the upper portion of said bearing member and the upper edge of the shield. In attaching the fastening member Hi to the lining 22 the trousers are pressed lightly against the spur 2| as the fastening member is rotated, and said spur will be caused to penetrate said lining as illustrated in Fig. 2, and a continued rotation of the fastening member will cause the spur 2| to successively penetrate the lining as said spur is advanced through the lining until the latter is caught upon several coils 20 as may be desired to securely fasten the shirt-to the trousers, and a suitable clearance is provided between the coils 20 and the periphery of the bearing portion H to permit the lining to slide upon the coils while the fastening member is being rotated. During the operation of securing the fastening member to the lining 22 of the trousers the shield prevents the spur 2| from penetrating the shirt also.

During the normal use of the device to prevent a shirt from pulling upwardly out of the trousers, the coils l9 remain closed one against the other as illustrated in Fig. 2, but when a pull is exerted by the clothing upon the fastener as may happen if the wearer of the clothing stretches or raises his arms excessively high, the coils IQ of the upper portion of. the fastening member will expand as illustrated in Fig. 5. It is evident that the device maybe used for various purposes and that the fastening member l8 may be attached to any penetrable material.

InFig. 6 I have illustrated a modified embodiment of my invention in which a shield 25 has a clamp secured to one face thereof and a hear- 45 to rotate saidfastening member upon said bearing member 26 fast to the opposite face thereof. The bearing member 26 is provided with bearing portions 21 upon one of which a fastening member I 8 is rotatab-ly mounted. A pin 28 extends through the coils of. the fastening member I8 and is rigidly secured at its upper end in the knob 24 to rotate in unison therewith. At its lower end the pin 28 is rotatably mounted in the lower bearing portion 21. The device illustrated in Fig. 6 functions in exactly the same manner as the device previously described to secure articles one to another particularly the lower front portion of a shirt to the upper front portion of a pair of trousers.

I claim:

1. A fastener of the character described comprising, in combination, a shield, a securing member fast thereto, a support also fast to said shield, a helicalspur mounted upon said support, and means to rotate said spur upon said support into piercing engagement with, penetrable material.

2. A fastener of the character described comprising, in combination, a shield, a clamp fast thereto, a bearing member upon .said shield, a helical expandable and contractable attaching member rotatably mounted uponsaid bearing member, and means to rotate, said attaching member upon said bearing member into piercing interlocking engagement with penetrable sheet material.

1 member upon the opposite side of said shield, a

' helical spur rotatably mounted upon said bearing prising, in combination, a shield, a securing member, and means to rotate said spur into piercing interlocking relation with a penetrable sheet material.

4. A fastener of the character described com member fast to one side of said shield, a bearing member mounted upon the opposite side of. the shield, a helical fastening member rotatably mounted upon said bearing member, and means ing member into piercing interlocking relation with an article of clothing.

5. A fastener of the character described comprising, in combination, a shield, a. securing member fast thereto, a bearing member also mounted upon the shield, a helical spring mounted upon said bearing member and terminating at one extremity thereof in a spur, and means to rotate said spring axially into piercing interlocking engagement with penetrable sheet material.

6. A fastener of the character described comprising, in combination, a shield, a clamp fast to one side of. said shield, a bearing pin mounted upon the opposite side of said shield, a helical member surrounding said bearing pin and terminating .at one extremity thereof in a spur, and means whereby said helical member may be rotated to cause said spur to interlock with a penetrable material. '7. A fastener of the character described comprising, in combination, a shield, a clamp fast to the .face of said shield, a bearing pin mounted upon the opposite face of said shield, an expandable and contractable helical member surrounding said bearing pin and terminating at one extremity thereof in a spur, and means to rotate said helical member axially into piercing interlocking engagement with a penetrable material.

8. A fastener of the character described comprising, in combination, a clamp, a bearing member mounted upon said clamp, a helical spring mounted upon said bearing member and having normally closed coils and permanently open coils embodied therein, said open coils terminating in a spur, and means to rotate said spring axially to cause said spur to interlock with a penetrable material.

9. A fastener of the character described comprising, in combination, a shield, a clamp fast to one face of saidshield, a bearing pin mounted upon the opposite face of said shield, a helical spring surrounding said bearing pin and having normally closed coils and permanently open coils embodied therein, said open coils terminating in a spur, and means to rotate saidspring axially to cause said spur to interlock with a penetrable material. I

10. A fastener of the character described comprising, in combination, a shield, at securing member fast thereto, a bearing member also fast to said shield, a helical spring surroundingsaid bearing member and having open coils embodied therein terminating in a spur, and means to rotate said bearing member and spring in unison axially to cause said spur to interlock with a penetrable material. FRED N. ASHWORTH. 

